


Ribbon (2002)

by cherrywave



Series: Tales Of The Broken [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Graphic Description, High School, M/M, Same Age, content warning, ribbon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:34:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26335765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrywave/pseuds/cherrywave
Summary: "Jisung," he said,"now I can tell youabout the blue ribbon.Untie it,and you will seewhy I could not tell you before,"Slowly and carefully,Jisung untied the ribbon.- a rendition of 'The Green Ribbon' from 'In A Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories' by Alvin Schwartz and Dirk Zimmer.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun & Park Jisung, Huang Ren Jun/Park Jisung, Park Jisung & Zhong Chen Le, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Series: Tales Of The Broken [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905235
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	Ribbon (2002)

**Author's Note:**

> another fic tagged content warning! this is a reminder that it will get a little too graphic by the end, and as always, thank you for reading!

tags: same age, content warning, ribbon, highschool, graphic

The blond-haired boy with a choker covering his neck bowed in front of the class after he walked in. “I’m Huang Renjun, I recently moved here from Jilin, China. Nice to meet you all,” he said. 

If one were to listen closely, you can hear the tremble of his voice, but most of the students focused on how his Korean sounded natural, Park Jisung on the other hand noticed the thick ribbon around his neck.

“Park Jisung, raise your hand,” their homeroom teacher said and Jisung followed. “Go sit next to him,” they continued.

Not much focused on Renjun as he walked to Jisung, but the latter was. Jisung was a man of curiosity, and he promised himself that he would figure out Renjun’s reason why he wore a ribbon.

Jisung mustered up the courage he had left to talk to Renjun. “Hey, new kid, why don’t you hang out with me during lunch?” he asked, arms around Renjun's shoulder.

Renjun froze for a second and shook his head in response.

The other slowly retracted his arm, that probably came out wrong.

Jisung couldn’t focus on their lesson for the day, he was thinking about what could be underneath. A big scar? A mouth? Another neck? A ring? Oh- the bell rang. He was thinking of asking Renjun nicely this time but the latter was already gone, his wallet sitting pretty on Jisung’s desk.

\---

Jisung shrieked as the soccer ball hit his face.

“Do you even wanna play?” asked Chenle, one of his friends.

“Actually, no,” he said. He dragged his feet on the sandy field and took a seat on the steps near them. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been spacing out-”

Jisung hummed in response. The truth is, he’s been staring at Renjun inside their classroom during the duration of their lunch break. He was sitting on his seat, unmoving, and reading a book. He can’t pinpoint it but something about Renjun’s stoic face captivates him. He hasn’t spoken much so Jisung can’t say anything about his probably melodic soft voice.

“You’re fucking smitten,” Chenle said.

“Kitten?” Jisung asked.

“C’mon, you know what I’m talking about. Why don’t you just ask him to join lunch?”

“I did. It didn’t come out nicely, though.”

“Did you threaten him?” Chenle asked.

“Perhaps?”

Chenle rolled his eyes at his friend. “Why don’t you start small? ‘Accidentally’ bump to him and I don’t know, ask him what his favorite color is.”

“That’s stupid-”

“It’s your kind of stupid.”

\---

Jisung surely gave him a bad impression since he was moved to a different seat in the class, but he doesn’t give up that easily. It was Sunday and he was in the library since he wanted to check out the book Renjun had been reading, ‘KNSH’, and he had been having trouble since the book cover was just plain white.

He went to the ‘K’ section and he immediately recognized the blond hair who was facing the other way.

‘Bump into him,’

Jisung took a deep breath before he walked over to Renjun and bumped their shoulders.

“Sorry,” Jisung said and he watched Renjun look at him with fear. “What’s your favorite color-”

Renjun ran away before Jisung could finish what he said.

He sighed and decided to walk away but he stumbled upon the book Renjun dropped before he ran, it was a plain black-covered book, titled: ‘AOAI’.

\---

Chenle clutched his head at disappointment. "I don't think you realize what you're doing-"

"I'm just trying to be friendly-"

"You're basically tormenting him!" Chenle said.

"I just followed what you suggested, bump into him-"

"And how many times have you bumped into him?"

"Five times," Jisung said. "In an hour."

"You're a hopeless case," Chenle said. "Look, I always see him pass by the store I'm working at," he continued. "Maybe wait for him there and give his book back."

"Wait for him and give his book back, noted."

"Do it properly, okay?" Chenle reminded him.

\---

Jisung had been leaning on the storefront for an hour before Renjun arrived. He wondered what Renjun had been doing for him to go home this late in the afternoon.

"Should I bump into him?" Jisung asked himself.

Renjun was nearing closer and Jisung pretended to run uphill to meet him.

For the sixth time this day, Renjun dropped his books on the ground.

For the sixth time this day, Jisung said sorry.

"Also, here's your book," Jisung said.

He felt a fire inside his heart, burning and making it hard to breathe, once Renjun spoke.

"Have I done anything wrong?" he asked.

"No, not at all. Why'd you ask-"

"It's just that you've been bumping and making me fall every time we meet," Renjun said. "I figured I must've done something."

Jisung didn't know how to respond, instead he gathered all Renjun's belongings and helped him stand up.

"The truth is, I actually just wanted to be friends with you," Jisung reasoned. "I'm sorry to make you feel that way. I just didn't know how to initiate a conversation with you."

"Just simply talking to me would've been fine," Renjun said, brushing dirt off his knees. "Other methods did seem like you were just bullying me."

"I'm really sorry," was all Jisung could say. "My actions aren't excusable are they?"

Renjun nodded. "But I'm need of friends too," he said. "Maybe this one is okay," he said.

Jisung broke into a smile and Renjun tried too as well.

"Are your shoulders okay?" Jisung asked once they walked together.

"They've been stinging a bit," Renjun admitted. "Yours?"

"Oh- they're fine," Jisung said. They walked in the middle of the asphalt road since there were no cars yet. All Jisung could hear was their footsteps and the rustling of the blooming trees. He wanted to hear Renjun speak again.

"How have you adjusted here?" Jisung asked.

"Aside from this boy in my school who keeps bumping into me, pretty fine I would say," Renjun teased.

Jisung awkwardly nodded along. "I probably didn't phase this properly before but, you can still join me and my friend during breaks."

"Thank you," Renjun said. "But I'd probably feel like I'm interrupting something."

"Don't worry about Chenle. We've been friends since birth but he's a nice guy," Jisung said. "He'd like you too."

\---

Renjun sat across Chenle and Jisung on the rooftop of their school. It has been two days since he joined the two.

"I'm going down to the caf to buy something, you guys want any?"

"You know what I like," Chenle said.

"Renjun?"

"I'll get what he gets," Renjun said.

The two left on the rooftop had always been awkward, especially since Chenle is from another class.

"What's up with the choker?" Chenle asked.

"Sorry?"

"Not to be mean or anything," he added. "Just curious why you have that thing on your neck."

"You might regret it once you see it," Renjun warned.

"Is it a big ugly scar?" Chenle humored. "It's fine, I can take anything."

"If you say so," Renjun said. He untied the ribbon behind his neck and put took the cloth off.

"It's," Chenle said. "Nothing?" he said as he tried to look for anything to be concealed.

"Hmm? It's there," Renjun said as he moved closer.

Chenle moved closer as well. "Push your head back, maybe?"

"If you say so."

\---

"I'm back," Jisung said. "Good thing I have enough money for our drinks, Chenle." he said. "Matcha's your favorite right?"

"Thanks," Chenle said as he took the drink from Jisung's hand. "What are you looking at?"

"I don't know, your choker has just been drawing me in these days," Jisung said.

"I've told you a couple of times," Chenle said. "You don't wanna see it."

"You’ve been wearing that since I was born. I don’t wanna die without knowing," Jisung reasoned.

Chenle smirked in response. "Soon, maybe."

\---

The two walked the path on their way to their houses like the usual. They walked next to each other on the side walk provided.

"Spring break is coming," Chenle spoke as he held his hand out.

"It's already spring, dumbass," Jisung said.

They stopped walking for a while to stop beneath a cherry blossom tree. Jisung felt his heart beat faster, he hadn't really seen Chenle as someone he liked but for the past few days as he remembered, he seemed different.

A cherry blossom petal fell on Chenle's shoulder and Jisung was about to take it off but Chenle swatted his hands before it even got close.

"What are you doing?" Chenle asked.

"I was just going to take the petal," Jisung said. "I'm wasn't gonna undo the ribbon or anything."

"I didn't say anything about that," Chenle said.

Jisung shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Look at you being wary about that thing," he said.

"Do you really wanna see it?" Chenle asked to which Jisung nodded. "Fine, help me take it off,” he said, and Jisung slowly and carefully undid the strings behind and took the cloth off.

"I can't see anything," Jisung said.

"It's there, stupid," Chenle said. "Look closer."

Jisung leaned in closer to see what was on Chenle's neck.

A horizontal slit appeared as Chenle threw his head back, Jisung widened his eyes as the slit opened and blood dripped. Two hands with sharp nails clutched the sides and pried it open. He fell down to the ground, he wanted to scream for help but nothing was coming out.

Jisung panted as he tried to crawl away, slowly, he could hear his voice back, but before he could scream at the entity in front of him, it pierced through his neck, making a large slit, and he was consumed by darkness.

\---

The blue-haired boy with a choker covering his neck bowed in front of the class after he walked in. “I’m Park Jisung, I recently moved here from Seoul. Nice to meet you all."


End file.
